I was a patient at Froedtert from April to June. I was in the SICU and transferred to 2NT. On my first day there, I was introduced to my nurse, Ryan Vanderloop. I was scared and nervous because I was starting over trusting someone with my care. After spending most of my time in the SICU, I had the same nurses throughout my stay. However, I was now on 2NT and I had never had a male nurse care for me, so that was another trigger for me. Yet Ryan quickly made me see him; not his gender or a new unit, but Ryan.

I had a tracheotomy so I couldn’t verbalize my concerns, but Ryan could tell something was wrong. He already found the way to communicate with me was via iPad so he asked me in the most respectful way to let him know if I had any concerns. I did not vocalize my concerns via iPad because I was going to give him a chance and I’m glad I did. He ensured I was comfortable and he always checked on me (I never used my call light). He explained to me every medication that he brought in. He asked permission prior to doing anything. He told dad jokes to cheer me up and he always updated me with new information from my surgical team.

Still going through my emotions of depression and anxiety, I felt that I was a bad or annoying patient, but Ryan never made me feel that way. Ryan always checked in to ensure I was doing decent before leaving the room because he understood that I was dealing with trauma. He knew that I didn’t like change so he always informed me when he would be off and when he was to return. That showed me that he cared and wanted me to feel comfortable no matter who was taking care of me.

The day the tracheotomy was removed I remember crying because I didn’t like the sound of my voice and Ryan stated he thought I had a nice voice. He never heard my voice before so he had nothing to compare it to but he made me feel better about the fact that I was uncomfortable with my new voice. In my opinion, Froedtert needs 100 more Ryan’s throughout the hospital because not many nurses make you feel like a person, many make you feel like just another body to take care of.

Ryan went above and beyond to make my stay as comfortable as possible and to ensure I had positivity surrounding me throughout my stay. Ryan even took time out of his day to visit me during my most recent stay after my surgery. That showed me that he saw me as a person, not a body, and that he cared. He always thanked me for my military service and I only thought it was right to nominate him and thank him for his selfless service during my hospitalization.